"Tough to Start...and Tough to Stop"

I will do the overall rating later. For now: sectionalized!!

Graphics(10)- This game's graphics obviously depend on the system, but they can (at max) be very spectacular. I have a Radeon 9700 Pro, 5.1, and 2.53 Ghz B, so the graphics run well with everything up. The environments feature optional bump-maps, stencil shadows on characters, weather effects, and day cycles. The magic spells are really fun to watch, but the summons and the chocobos are the true graphical beauty of this game.

Sound(9)- Ambient noises, footsteps, swishes when attacks are parried, and the triumphant return of the victory jingle from previous FF's (albeit only when you level up) all make the sounds great. The music is up to Square's high standards, with nice transitions between tracks, and individual tracks for all of the 100+ areas in the game.

Gameplay(9)- This is where the title comes in. It is very discouraging at the beginning, as finding your way around your city can be tough, and getting your fingers around the many keyboard commands can be a little overwhelming. But one you get into a fight, and/or join a party, you will be unable to stop playing this game. There are so many things to do; there are missions, which you do for your country, and there are quests, which are assigned by various NPC's. The commands, once you get used to them, are simple. Various things that you can type at almost any point in the game like /clock, which shows the time on Earth and in Vana'diel, are handy. If you choose, almost any of those commands can also be accessed by Ctrl+ something. Or you can go to your main menu and do most stuff there also. Moving around is kinda different, which is almost like PSO, where you click+drag your mouse in the direction in which you want your character to move. Vana'diel time is about 3 seconds earth time = one minute on Vana'diel's 24 hour clock.

Overall(9)- This game is a true masterpiece. Everyone (at least on Gilgamesh) is very nice and will help you out. IE, once, a character just came by and casted Protect and Cure II on me, for nothing in return. Little things make it more realistic (and more fantasy at the same time), like if you go to a shop in the middle of the night, they won't sell you anything until they open (Vana'diel time), or if you cast fire while it is raining, well, you get the point. If you want a place where you can do anything you can do in real life, Vana'diel is the place for you.

Buy? Yes

Reviewer's Score: 9/10 | Originally Posted: 11/03/03

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